POLICE COURT

Evening Star, Issue 22684, 25 June 1937, Page 7

POLICE COURT

FRIDAY, JUNE 25. (Before Mr 11. W. Bundle, S.M.) DRUNKENNESS. A first offender was fined 10s, in default 24 hours. NUMEROUS OFFENCES ALLEGED. “ During the time this man has been in Dunedin, he has committed bigamy, stolen two wireless sets, and obtained credit by fraud, and a further charge of the theft of a wireless set in Christchurch is io bo preferred,” said Chiefdetective Young in respect of George Henry Ellis, aged .'JO years, who pleaded guilty to the theft of a radio set, valued at £32 IDs, the property of William Cecil Proctor. The Chief Detective asked for a remand until July 2. Ho said other charges were to be preferred. This man was married in Auckland in January last, said Mr Young, and he left his wife in To Kuiti a month ago, and came to Dunedin, where he advertised for a wife. A girl answered, and the accused married her. The accused was remanded for a week. HOTEL LICENSEE’S BREACH. Michael Kean, licensee of the Metroafter hours, and John F. Hoarc, a barpolitan Hotel, admitted selling liquor man, pleaded guilty to supplying liquor after hours. Senior-sergeant Packer said that two men had already been fined 10s and costs in connection with the offence, which occurred on May 28. The licensee and his wife were confined to bed through illness when the police visited the hotel, and the control of the bar was left to the barman. Mr L. R. Simpson, who appeared for Kean, said that the barman’s act was indefensible, and he accepted full responsibility for what he had done. Kean felt his position in this case, as in the past 12 months he had acquired the freehold of the premises, and desired to conduct the hotel properly. The Senior, Sergeant said that the hotel’s record had been good since the licensee was last before the court 18 months ago. Kean was fined £5 and costs' and Hoare £4 and costs. Allan James Cocks was fined 10s and costs for being unlawfully on the premises. INTOXICATED MOTORIST. When James Edward Brunton pleaded guilty to being intoxicated in charge of a motor car on June 20, his counsel (Mr G. T. Baylee) claimed that the accused had been affected .by a fall from a horse on the previous afternoon, and could not have driven the car owfhg to the injury sustained. Mr Baylee submitted that the breach was a technical one, but the magistrate said he could not look upon the matter lightly, imposing a fine of £23 19s, and medical expenses (£1 Is). Accused’s license was suspended and he was prohibited from driving for 12 • montlis. Senior-sergeant Packer prosecuted. The Senior Sergeant said that the accused was arrested at 12.10 a.m. on June 20 last. Constable Harris noticed the door of a parked car fly open. The accused was behind the steering wheel, and was vomiting. The constable saw that the man was not in a fit condition to drive, and subsequently Dr Evans certified .that the accused was not fit to drive the car. Mr Baylee said that there was no question about the accused being intoxicated within the meaning of the Act, but it was with considerable hesitation that counsel advised the accused to plead guilty, as he was in charge at most for three minutes. It was a Saturday, and the accused had been out riding that afternoon. He was thrown heavily from his horse, and fell on his neck, being crushed and dragged some 12yds or 15yds, and receiving several blows on the head. The accused found himself unable to ride, and walked his horse to town. He and a few friends had a few drinks shortly before 6 o’clock. . . After having his horse and another horse shod, the accused late that evening rode to the kennels at Tahuna, where his car had been up to that time. By then, said Mr Baylee, Brunton s shoulder and upper arm had suffered so as to be almost useless. Brunton was of opinion that he could not drive the car on account of his physical condition, and he asked one of the two men accompanying him to drive the car into town, and this was done, the man being a licensed driver. They the car in Dowling street, and Brunton’s friends went to find two friends who they thought might be in a restaurant nearby. When they came back to the car for the purpose of continuing! their journey the driver, Mr Muirhead, spoke to the constable nnd told him that he (Muirhead) was in charge of the car. The difficulty defendant found himself in was that after he had been sitting in the back seat of the car. when his two friends got out, he also got out. He was feeling pretty sick and collapsed in the nearest scat, which was the driver’s seat. The constable would never have noticed him, but he opened the door because he believed he was going tq bo ill, and it was during that short period that he took charge of the car. The breach was purely a technical one. In dealing with the question of Brunton’s license, Mr Baylee said that he lived seven miles from the post office, and if his license was dealt with by the court, failing other means of transport, he would he faced with a four-mile walk every time he went to or from town. There had been no danger to the public at all. Senior-sergeant Packer said that the two passengers belonged to Mosgiel and the accused to Tomahawk. . Mr Baylee said that all were members of the Hunt Club and had arranged tq stay in town because the next day they were going to ride over the course for the following week’s meeting. Constable Harper gave evidence that another man was sitting by the accused when witness first observed’ accused. This man and a third man who came up were both intoxicated. Sergeant Lean said that the accused’s two friends came to the station and both were intoxicated. The Magistrate said that the only evidence before him was that the other passengers in the car were in a state of intoxication. He would take into consideration the fact that the car was not being driven, but there was nothing to prevent the accused driving. He was quite imable to say defendant’s license should not be dealt with. He was quite unable to. look on the matter lightly. The accused was then fined as stated above. SUNDAY TRADING. “ The defendant and his wife have caused no end of police supervision of this district,” said Senior-sergeant Packer when Thomas Greaney (Mr C. J. L. White) was charged with selling goods on. a Sunday. Arising out of the same offence, Ernest Johnston (Mr

G. M. Lloyd) was charged with assisting in the commission of the offence, which was admitted. The Senior Sergeant said that the practice adopted by customers was to go to shops with milk billies and purchase goods prohibited to be sold on Sundays. He added that defendant had been previously fined for a similar breach. Greaney was fined £2 and costs, and Johnston was convicted and ordered to pay court costs (10s). Mary Dunn (Mr A. J. Dowling), who supplied a customer with ice cream, was fined 10s and costs. The Senior Sergeant pointed out that many complaints were received about these small trades people selling goods on Sundays at the expense of other shop owners whose premises had to be closed. William Thomas Rowlands was fined 8s and costs for a similar offence. ON LICENSED PREMISES. Edmund John Harris was convicted only for being on licensed premises after hours. UNLIGHTED BICYCLES. Frank Clark and Desmond John Connor were each fined 5s and costs for riding unlighted bicycles. MOTORISTS’ OFFENCES. Horace Edward Douglas Adams, whose car collided with another vehicle, was fined £3 10s and costs for passing a vehicle without ascertaining that he had a proper view of the road. For parking his car for a longer period than 15 minutes James Stanley Cashman was fined 5s and costs. “ The defendant passed so close to a traracar that he struck a passenger on the heel, the passenger being on the footboard of the tram,” said Seniorsergeant Packer of Robert Dreaver, who admitted a charge of negligent driving. He was fined £3 and costs. Arthur Jordan was fined 10s and costs for riding an unlighted motor cycle, and was convicted and discharged for operating a motor cycle without an assigned number attached. Gordon Menzies Taylor was fined £4 and costs for cutting a corner. For parking a car at a safety zone Christina Mac Lean was fined 10s and costs. A fine of Ss and costs was imposed on James Benson Quaile for being in charge of an unlighted motor car. Harold Roy Wilson was fined 5s and costs for parking a motor car for a longer period than 15 minutes. Lewis Ken Kerse was fined £5 and costs on a charge of dangerous driving. For failing to give way to traffic on the right George Moodie was fined £2 10s and costs._ James Patrick Sheehy was fined 20s and costs for cutting a corner. An unlicensed driver, Robert Goodchild, was fined 5s and costs. CHIMNEY FIRES. Clement Hill and Robert Barnett Ingram were each fined 5s and costs for permitting chimneys to catch fire.